East India Company Set - A Fleet Of East Indiamen Ref. 1ARAP.M01A.C120P

The East India Company Set is the latest addition to Arnold
& Son's Instrument Collection and comprises three timepieces
that combine maritime precision with aesthetic perfection. The
models celebrate the East Indiamen, the vessels that helped to
establish the trading supremacy of the East India Company.

The East India Company was the most powerful and famous of the
commercial empires that profited from trade expansion between
Europe, the Americas, India and China. Underpinning its supremacy
were the heavily armed trading ships that were also regularly used
by the Royal Navy. Now, with the East India Company Set, Arnold
& Son unveils a trio of true beat timepieces. Gracing the dial
of each model is an exquisitely hand-finished miniature painting
replicating one of three paintings from the National Maritime
Museum in London. The art of painting miniatures by hand calls
for
infinite patience and consummate skill. The tiny brushstrokes and
texturing gradually build up entire images with an astonishing
richness of detail that is given even greater emphasis by the
reflection of light in the depth of the mother-of-pearl dials, and
underscore Arnold & Son's mastery of the decorative arts.

The timepieces in the East India Company Set have a distinctive
off-centre subdial for the time of day, one of the unmistakable
design cues of the Instrument Collection. Our watchmakers and
designers took their inspiration from the distinctive
instrument-like chronometers produced by John Arnold and his son,
John Roger Arnold. The central feature on the dial is the
timepiece's complication: a central true beat (TB) seconds. A
rarely found complication these days, the true beat seconds (or
dead beat seconds) stands for superlative accuracy and was an
invaluable instrument for marine navigators. The combination of a
central true beat seconds with an automatic winding system calls
for enormous technical expertise. This is made possible by an
internationally patented system and calls for parts accurate to a
micron, or one-thousandth of a millimetre. The key components are
produced using state-of-the-art LIGA (lithography, electroplating
and moulding) manufacturing technology.

The timepieces in the East India Company Set are powered by the
rhodium treated A&S6103 calibre, the first automatic movement
with an integrated true beat system to be developed, designed and
manufactured entirely at Arnold & Son's workshops in La
Chaux-de-Fonds. The exquisite haute horlogerie finishing includes
manually chamfered bridges and polished edges, fine circular
graining and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, a brushed and
skeletonised rotor, and blued screws. The movement is housed in an
18-carat rose gold case with a brown alligator strap.

The East India Company Set will be available in an exclusive
limited edition of just 28 sets of 3 timepieces.